Hair curler



March 6, w MAXWELL HAIR CURLER Filed Jan. 10, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet lMarch 6, 1945. w. H. MAXWELL HAIR CURLER Filed Janflo, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 6, 1945 TED STAT-Es PAT ENT- wes 1 HAIRwarm I Willia1n--H-. MaxwelLBeverly llills Calif; I Application January10, 194 i, Serialhlo. 517,652 Y Y I'OfCIaimS. (o1. ran-41) Thisinvention. relatesftmhair curlers: and has particular reference to.haircurling devices of the type wherein a strand; of hair is. wound on aspindle-to remainin'thewound or curled state for a substantial periodor'until; it acquires the, desired curled contour. A: general object.ofthisinv'ention is to: provide a practical, effective and veryinexpensive hair curlerzof the character mentioned; v

This application i filed. as a. continuation in part of my pending.application entitled-Hair curler, Serial No. 4110;945, filed-J111y"3,;1r941.-

An object ofthis invention. is toprovide, a hair curler of the characterreferred; to that is. economical to manufacturerand extremelyinexpensive, being solow incostthat; it; may-be discarded after use; Thecurler of; the present. invention; is so inexpensive that it may bediscarded followin a single use..i Thistfeatureof: the inventionparticularly adapts thecurler fonuse; in. beauty salons and othercommercial-. establishments where it. is very desirableto'maintainthe-highestt degree of cleanliness and where it is importantto employ single use articles: and, equipment. wheneverpossible.- Theadyantagerof thezsingle use alsorecommends. the-curlers to-others. Inall cases, whether I commercial or otherwise; theemployment of theAnother and. important object of the invention is to provideacurler of:the. character mentioned that can be worn or leit on the hair for an indefinite period without discomfort and; without danger of injury to thescalp; The curlersofthe presentinvention may be formed of apliantmaterial which cannot scratch, cut or bruise the skin orscalp and thecurler may, if desired, be worn while sleeping without discomfort orinjuring or endangeringtheuser.

Another object. of thisinvention i to. provide a hair curler oiithe,character mentioned that: may be inexpensively formed from a single.integral piece. of; paper, fiberboard. cardboard or other foldableflexible material;

Another. obiectorthis inyentionis tQ lPIQ idB ping thereon. EigLSis anedge or side elevation I aah ir curler oi: the: character reie-rred tothat may be rmarketcd; and delivered in a fiat condition tobe stored andhandled with the; utmost 'Qfconvenienceor, ii -desired, may bedeliilered and stored in the; folded condition to be ready, forimmediate use.. Another object. of: the invention. is to: provideacurlenofthegcharacter, mentioned that has spindle arms which cooperate:to ficrm-a hair receiying' spindl that is substantially;- roundi-ncross: sec.- tional configurationa v i x i The various objects andfeatures of my invention' will be fully understood from theptollowingdetaileddescription; of-- typicalpreferredformsLand applications of; my;invention, throughout which description; reference is; made; to theaccompanythe foldedr-over operative-position.. Fig i is; a perspective;view of the curler illustrating the mannerinwhich the end ofa hairstrandmay be started or. introduced into thespindle for-wrap.-

illustrating-the hair strand; wrapped ,on the spindle with the spindlelatched-or retained in the i operative position- Fig.6 is a View similarto Fig. 11 'of another form of the invention. Fig.7 is; a sectionalviewtaken'on line 1,-1 ofFig. 6. Fig. 8

emin nt-tonnage. f H i The i proved curler of the present invention maybeqsaid-to comprise, enerally. a body Hi and p dle means It on thebod'yon which the hair i tobewound. i

'IFhe curler of the; invention --is preferably,

though notnecessarilyformed of-a foldableflex- :ible and pliantmaterialsuch aspaper, cardboard,

.formation and character of the curler are such that the device may beformed-bf otherm-aterials having the. desirable properties; offlexibility, etc. and. it. will, be, apparent that. the. curler may" :be

constructed of two, or more'pieces or members, I

if. desired, and the; presentinvention is not to be construedaslimitedto the particular pre erred embodiment: iilustratedin the.drawin s comp is d a, sectional view taken. on lin 8-8 of Fig 6... Fig.9is a side View of the curler formed. from i of a single body or blank.For general use it is be in the nature of hair tonics or may be preparations operating to aid in the curling or setting of the hair. As anexample, if the curler is formed of paper-it maybe treated with asuitably refined petroleum oil such as will give dry hair a suitableamount of oiliness and luster.

The body I carries the spindle means II and serves as a keeper forlatching or holding the spindle means in its operative condition.

The

body In is an elongate element preferably rep g the folded conditionready for use.

duced, at what I will term, its inner end to have The tongue I2 carriesthespindle a. tongue l2. means and is separated therefrom by fold linesl3, as will be more fully described. The longitudinal edges M of thebody [0 may be straight and generally parallel as illustrated and theouter end of the body is preferably rounded. It

will be 'obvious, however, that the longitudinal edges of the severalparts, the body as well as the spindle, may be shaped in any desired manner to give the'hair applied thereto the desired configuration. It maybe preferred to provide a series of longitudinally spaced openings [5 inthe body In to facilitate drying of the hair and to provide ventilation.i r p y The spindle means H constitutes a mandrel or shaft on which'thehair is to bewound; The spindle means II is preferably a split, dividedor compound structure adapted to retain the end portion of the strand sor hair which is to be curled. In the preferred construction, thespindle means ll includes two-tines, fingers or arms I6 and H, it beingunderstood that the invention contemplates the use or provision of but asingle spindle arm, if desired. The two'spindle arms I 6 and I l arepreferably alike and complementary and are elongate parts ofsubstantially the same length as the body I 0. The'arms I5 and" may beconsiderably narrowerthan the body 10. In the form illustrated thearmshave straight gem erallylparallel edges and arerounded' at theirouter ends.

When the curler is formed ofone piece, as illustrated, the arms lB-andI1 are integrally joined with the tongue l2 of the body It). In theparticular form illustrated the arms l6 and H are joined with the sidesof the tongue I2 along the fold lines l3, these lines or the materia'lat these lines forming the hinge connections between the spindle armsand the body l0.' The hinge lines or fold lines l3 extend parallel withthe longitudinal axis of the curler and are preferably set in from thelongitudinal-edges Id of the body I0 so that the tongue 12 is narroweror fold lines [3. It may be preferred to prepare thematerial for foldingalong the lines l3 by providing lines of scoring, this beingparticularly is to be put into use.

when the parts are merely folded into position,

of the body l0. Following this inward folding of the arm IS, the spindlearmv I1 is hinged or folded along its line l3, to overlie the previouslypositioned arm l6. Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates the manner. inwhich the arms l6 and I! are folded one against the other to liegenerally parallel with a side or face of the body I 0. These foldingoperations, that is, the inward folding or swinging of the arms l6 andI! may be performed atthe time of manufacture of the curler or may beperformed manually when the curler The curler'm'ay be used as justdescribed, or asuitable fastening means or adhesive may be applied tothe'severaloverlying or adjoining parts orsurfaces at or opposite thetongue l2 so that the curler is fixed in strand Sso thatthe-strand' maybe wound on iii truewhen the curlers are to be marketed and I deliveredin the flat condition. The spindle arms I6 and H are adapted to beindividually and I bodily folded or hinged inwardly along their re- 1spective fold lines l3 to lie in generally parallel relation to a faceof the body 10. Thus, as shown them and are then swung inwardly andlatched with the body l0 so-that'the hair is held in the rolled or woundcondition. Thearms l6 and H are adapted tobe hinged or swung outwardlyalong transverse lines 19 adjacent the tongue l2.

, As" shown, the lines-19' extend outwardly orlaterally from the pointsof joinder of the; body edges [4 with the cuts 18. Theli'nes IQ offolding or hinging may or maynot be formed during the manufacture of thecurler. In some cases it may be desired to score thearmslfi and alongthe lines I!) to facilitate the hinging or swinging of the arms while inothercases these portions of the device'may be left'plain to bend alongor in the vicinity of the' lines when'the device is putinto use. i x aThe outer or freeen'ds of the spindle arms Hi and I1 are adapted to-beretained or latched in the outer end part' of the body I0, when the hairstrand S has been wound on them, to retain-the hair in the spooledor'wound condition. The means for retaining or latching the spindle armst6 and H to the outer portion-of the body l0 comprises an opening ortransversely elongated slot'20 'in' the outer portion of (the body. The

slot 20 is of sufficient length'and width-toreceive the-end portions-ofthe two spindle arms l6 and I"! when the arms are laid one againsttheother and is preferably made sufficiently large so'that the arms can bereadily inserted. The spindle arms l6 and I! carrying thewound hairstrand 8 are bent forwardly and inwardly and are entered in the opening20. The resiliency of the arms l6 and I1 and of the body I 0 holds thearms latched or locked in the opening-20; As illustrated in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings the rolled up hair strand S bows or flexes both thebody l0and the two arms l6 and I1 outwardly between their ends and the bowingor'fiexing of these parts holds the arms 16 and "securely in the opening20. The body ill latched with the'arms" [-6 and I! and bearingagainst'the wound hair strand S dependably prevents unwinding of thehair.

Each of the arms [6 and I1, may, if desired, be

providedon one edge with notches 30'and'the folding of the arms on thelines l3 may be such that the arms bear edgewise, preferably'in oppositedirections, in the slot 20 -to grip the wallet the slot andfurther-resist displacement of the arms from the slot, Y

It is believed that the utility'and practicability of the hair curlingdevice of this invention will be readily understood from the foregoingdetailed description.- The-curlermay be marketed either in. thecondition shown in Figzr ofthe drawings or in the folded togethercondition illustrated in- Fig'. 3. If the curler is suppliedinthe flatstate as shown in Fig.1 1 of the-drawings it is readilyprepared. for'useby merely bending the arms Hi and r1 inward-1y" along the lines i3 torest one against the other at" the face" of the bo'dy' lo: The'armsIBand I? are swung outwardly from the body to along the lines is and theend of the'hai'r strands is introducedbetween the arms as illustratecrinFig. 4. The strand S or a selected portion ofthe" strand Sis thenwoundaround the two arms lb and 1'1 to providea spoor'or body of hair asshown in Fig; 5, The free or outer ends or the" arms [8 and H are thenbent inwardly and passed through the opening 2b. The latching orretention of the spindle arms l8 and" IT with the outer portion of thebody It results in longitudinal bowing of" the body Hi as well as bowingofthe spindle arms; This" is clearfyshown in'Fig: 5 of the drawings. Thebody In fetched withthe arms" I 6 and IT, as just described, effectivelyprevents the hair strand S from unwinding and retains the curler inposition on the'hair:

The curler'may be left-on the hair for a select ed prolonged period togive the hair a good curl or set. If desired, the curler may be left onthe hair while the user sleeps. The hair strand S wound on the spindlearms l6 and I1 takes or assumes a curled contour. Further, the strandbeing wound around the sharp edged flat sided arms 16 and I1 is given awave comprised of spaced undulations where the hair passes around theedges of the spindle arms. Accordingly,'the device not only curls thehair but also waves it. When it is desired to remove the curler thespindle arms 16 and I! are merely withdrawn from the opening 20 and thespindle arms are slid from the hair. Where the curler is formed ofpaper, or the like, and is used in beauty parlors, etc., it may bediscarded following use. On the other hand, where the curler is formedof more permanent material it may be retained for repeated re-use.

In Figs. 6 to of the drawings I show a modified form of constructioncharacterized by the fact that the arms Hi and H instead of being flat,as shown in the form of the invention above described, are curved sothat the hair carrying portion of the spindle formed by them issubstantially round in cross-section. This form of the invention isfurther characterized bythe fact that the body 10, instead of havingopenings [5 and 20, has a single longitudinal opening the outer endportion of which serves the function of the opening 20 above described,while the bal ance thereof serves the function of the openings 15 and,further, gives desirable flexibility to the body to aid in itscooperation with the spindle formed by the arms "5 and H The device ofFigs. 6 to 10 may be similar, generally, to that above described, aswill be noted from a comparison of Figs. 1 and 6.

To avoid kinking the hair it is desirable in some cases that the spindlebe round or substantially round in cross-section. At the sametime it isdesirable that the spindle formed by the arms l6 and I1 have a certaindegree of flexibility. The flexibility is desired at the end portions ofthe arms. In the preferred form of the invention I cup or curve themiddle portions A of the arms so that they are substantiallysemicircular in cross section. I leave, the inner end portions 131 or.the arms flatoa-nd 1;" alsoi leavethe' outerportionsofiofthearmsflat.

The-curved portion-s A are. oppositely cupped, as} shown in Fig. 6',"sothat the arms can be over l'appect causing thecurv'eofone arm to bedownw'ard 'and the curve of the other arm to beup ward, with the resulttha'tth spindle formed by the arms is substantially round incross-section,

as shown in Fig. 101 It ist'o be understood; of course; thatthecurvature-does not-have to be such as to make the spindle fu-Ily round,but

only needs to be-enough' to takeaway the corners onsharpness thatwoul'dotherwise cause kinking or" sharpbends inthe hair.- The portions A,

being cup sh'ap'ed or curved in cross-section, have any variations ormodifications that may appear to those skilled in the art or fall withinthe scope of the following claims:

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A hair curler comprising an elongate body.

an elongate spindle arm hinged adjacent one end of the body to swingabout an axis extending longitudinally of the body, and means forlatching the free end of the arm with the other end portion of the body.

2'. A hair curler comprising an elongate body, elongate flexible spindlearms hinged to one end portion of the body to swing about spaced axesextending longitudinally of the body so that the arms may be folded oneover the other at a face of the body, and means for releasably engagingthe free ends of the arms with the other end portion of the body.

3. A one-piece hair curler comprising a onepiece sheet member includingan elongate body,

arms integrally hinged to one end portion of the body along lines ofbending which extendlongitudinally of the body so that the arms may beswung one against the other at a side of the body, and means forreleasably latching the free ends of the arms with the other end portionof the body when hair is wound on the arms comprising an opening in saidend portion of the body into which the arms are entered.

4. A one-piece hair curler comprising a onepiece sheet member includingan elongate body, arms hinged to one end portion of the body along linesof bending which extend longitudinally of the body so that the arms maybe swung one against-the other at the side of the body, transverse linesof bending in the arms adjacent the tudinally of the body so that thearms may be folded one over the other at a face of the body, means forsecuring the arms together at said end portion of the body to hold thearms in the positions where they are folded one over the other, andmeans for releasably latching the free ends of the arms with the otherend portion of the body. v

6., A hair curler comprising a one- -piece sheet member including anelongate body, the body having an opening adjacent one end, and spindlearms integrally joined with the opposite edges of the other end portionof the body and adapted to be folded one over,the other at a face of thebody, and means for holding the arms where they are folded one over theother at said other end of the body, the outer ends of the arms beingadapted to be entered in said opening to be rehinged adjacent one end ofthe body onaxes extending longitudinally of the body to be adjacent eachother and to overlie the body, the arms being oppositely curved incross-section to form a substantially round hair receiving spindle.

9. A hair curler comprising an elongate body,

an elongate spindle arm hinged adjacent one end' member including anelongate body, and spindle arms integrally hinged to one end portionofthe "body to swing about spaced axes extending longi-s tudinally of thebody so that the arms may be folded one over the other at a face of thebody, the middle portions of the arms being curved in cross-section sothearmstogether form a substantially round hair receiving spindle, meansfor securing-the arms together at said end portion of, the body to holdthe arms in the positions where they are folded one over the other, andmeans for releasably latching the' free ends of the arms with the otherend portion of the body.

WILLIAM H. MAXWELL

